National Take Your Pet to Work Week: Rescues, Porcupines & Javascript

In celebration of “National Take Your Pet to Work” week (or as some of our pets would say, “Take Your Person to Work” Week), we thought it would fun to share stories about our staff’s pets. Since a number of our team members work from home either occasionally or on a routine basis, our mammalian companions are never far from our sides and are some of our favorite co-workers.

Let’s start with Bella! Bella is 5 years old. Developer, Brandon Haslip, rescued her after being found homeless and in pretty bad shape roaming the streets of Coatesville, PA. Brandon describes Bella as a “happy puppy and she’s really great at JavaScript.”

Meet Notchi, (aka “the world’s most greatest cat”) Synergema Partner, Heather Steiger’s 1-year-old cat. As a baby kitten, Notchi, set off on an adventure that landed him on her highly allergic friend’s porch. When her friend put a post out on Facebook looking for someone to adopt him, she and her husband jumped at the chance to surprise their son for his 8th birthday and he’s been a vital part of their family ever since.

Notchi prides himself on his “supervisory” skills. From typing to sweeping, he never misses an opportunity to closely observe your work to be sure it’s satisfying his very “high standards.”

Melody, Designer Wes Manley’s dog was originally found in Philadelphia, scared and hungry. Wes’ cousin was fostering Melody for the Delaware County SPCA and he and his wife felt compelled to adopt her. She’s a great help at work (well sorta). Apart from being found routinely “sleeping on the job,” Melody can be counted on to bark at mailmen and any passing squirrels.

Sully is the newest member of our staff’s pet family. Accounting Supervisor, Becca Murphy and her husband really wanted a puppy for about 2 years but after the birth of their son, they decided to wait a bit before growing their family any more. With their son now a year old, they decided it was time to add a little chocolate to their life! Inspired by the movie “Marley & Me,” they found Sully and the rest was as they say…history.

Meet Toby, an 11-year-old, German Shorthair Pointer adopted by Director of Creative Services, Jeanne Ryan, from a San Francisco Bay Area SPCA 9 years ago. Many years, states and vet bills later, he is still the ultimate running and couch companion. Toby is the quintessential “Dennis the Menace” of dogs as evidenced from the porcupine pic…yes, those are three quills stuck in his face. No matter what, he’s still Jeanne’s favorite creature on the planet and he always makes her day better!

Bug and Pickles were both adopted from the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in 2008 by Designer, Chad Clark. They help Chad with his work by keeping him company and interacting with him in his Boston-based home office. Chad says, “It’s nice to have a cat jump up and sit on your lap while you are typing away.”

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One final mention. While preparing this story, Becca Murphy’s cat, Sheldon, sadly passed away. We’ve dedicated this piece in his honor.

Sheldon the cat: The Murphy’s adopted Sheldon in July of 2013 when one of their friend’s cats had kittens. When they first brought her home they named her “Penny” but after an embarrassing trip to the vet, they discovered their Penny was actually a “Phillip”. So they renamed him “Sheldon” after Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory - one of their favorite shows. Sheldon was always willing to share and would leave generous supplies of fur on their couch to make them extra comfy. Sheldon will be missed. RIP June 19, 2015.